While the Los Angeles Lakers — Portland’s opening-night opponent at the Rose Garden — retooled with all-stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, the Blazers are banking on a rookie point guard, Damian Lillard.

Lillard is pretty good, which you can’t say about many of his teammates. According to ESPN.com, only three Blazers rank among the best 200 players in the NBA. Portland has no bench, precious little experience and — for the 13th straight season — no hope of winning a playoff series.

Is this the end of the world? No, just your typical Paul Allen business venture. This is a franchise that may not ever have its nifty, new iPhone app ready for the season opener.

I’m only surprised Portland’s fan base continues to embrace the numbing mediocrity, given the evidence, 100 miles down the road, that you can assemble and maintain a championship-caliber roster in the Northwest.

Yes, we’re talking different sports, but the Ducks hardly face a less formidable challenge. College football is dominated by a smaller group of elite teams — the last six BCS champions hail from the Southeastern Conference — than the NBA, which has seen teams from Cleveland, San Antonio and Oklahoma City reach the finals in that same span.

Unlike the Blazers, however, Duck football committed to playing with, and beating, the best. Unlike Allen, Knight isn’t satisfied with less. Just like Nike’s founder wasn’t satisfied until the $24 billion company controlled, by one estimate, 97 percent of the NBA shoe market.

We’ve all seen the receipts in Eugene. Knight has donated hundreds of millions to his alma mater, funding libraries and athletic facilities. He bankrolled the basketball arena. Helped lock Kelly into a contract, and told Mike Bellotti and Bill Moos when it was time to go. Calmly nodded his approval as Nike designers finally freed Oregon — which hardly commands the same cache in the national apparel market as Texas, Kentucky or Carolina — from the yellow-and-green stocks.

Knight does not have deeper pockets than Allen, but he is smarter, more focused and far more intuitive about talent. Yes, his intensity has its share of baggage, and some in Eugene are already asking if the athletic program is spiraling toward a financial meltdown.

But with Kelly on the sidelines, Knight in his Autzen Stadium suite and the Ducks slated to score 75 this weekend against Colorado, the languid crowds and minimal expectations are now parked at the Rose Garden.

And if that doesn’t bother Blazer fans, you can understand why it’s of no concern to Paul Allen.